Electric motor driven noise simulator



Aprll 25, 1967 N. L. CASE ETAL ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVEN NOISE SIMULATORFiled July 14, 1964 K o A 4 v "w "a M m a. Hut-Finn! S E m Q J H J m FW0 4 7 .E LR 2 2 v A W a N, 0 m v a N BY .9 9. B a j i m T a m Q Y T a a.I 1 k a 4 fi G a 2 mm m n l United States Patent 3,315,407 ELECTRICMUTOR DRHVEN NOISE SIMULATOR Noel L. Case and Bernard J. Tuschak,Girard, Pa., assignors to Louis Marx & Co., Inc, New York, N.Y., acorporation of New York Filed July 14-, 1964, Ser. No. 382,563 1 Claim.(Cl. 46232) This invention relates generally to a motor noise simulatorand is more particularly directed to a device mounted within a modelhouse such as a workhouse or sawmill which produces a noise simulatingthat produced by an engine or sawmill motor.

The invention is directed to a motor noise simulator which isself-powered to generate a loud noise thereby creating the effect that amotor is operating within the house or other enclosure and which may beexternally controlled to vary the speed of operation of the motor noisesimulator.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an inexpensivedevice of improved and simplified construction which may be mountedwithin a model building and which can simulate the sound of a motor orengine operating within the building or other enclosure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obviousand will in part be apparent from the specification.

Generally speaking, in accordance with this invention, a frame carries asemi-rigid diaphragm or sounding board. A motor mounted to the frameproximate to the diaphragm carries a rotor in which is housed a slidableball. The ball is adapted to partially extend beyond the rotor in itsoutermost position and to strike the diaphragm to produce a cyclicalsound. The motor is battery operated through a series connected rheostatwhich can be adjusted to control the speed of operation of the motor.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe invention will be indicated in the claim.

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is bad to thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view in perspective of a model building forreceiving and supporting a motor simulator constructed in accordancewith the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a motor simulator constructed in accordancewith the invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional View taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the rotary element of the motorsimulator, shown at a greatly enlarged scale; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of typical electrical circuitry for operationof the motor.

The device disclosed herein may be generally classified as a toy and, assuch, may be mounted within a model building such as indicated generallyat 11 in FIG. 1. The size and appearance of the building are of nopatentable significance but merely lend visual interest to the toy.Thus, the outside of the building may have the appearance of a.workhouse or a sawmill or other type of building which might normallyhouse a motor and which thus would normally be expected to give off thesounds of motor operation Within the building. Of course, it should beunderstood that the motor simulator disclosed herein is not limited toincorporation within a building, the building being shown forenvironmental purposes only. When a model building is utilized, it maybe provided "ice with a compartment 12 in which batteries 13 are mountedfor operating the motor to be subsequently described.

The building may be provided with a separable roof 14 to which the motornoise simulator may be mounted and which permits access to compartment12 for changing the batteries. Both the roof and floor will preferablybe provided with a plurality of apertures 15 which readily permit theescape of the sound generated by the motor simulator.

The motor noise simulator is more clearly shown in FIGS. 2 through 4.Secured to the building roof 14 through flanges 16 is an annular frame17 adapted to support a semi-rigid diaphragm or sounding board 18 inspaced relation to roof 14 as clearly shown in FIG. 3. A diametricallydisposed support 19 is secured to the annular frame above the soundingboard in such a manner that the central area of the sounding board isnot contacted by the support. Additional support elements 21 are securedbetween support 19 and the annular frame to define a channel forreceiving and supporting a motor 22. The motor is supported above thesounding board in spaced relation thereto and the motor armature shaft23 extends through support 19 approximately along a diameter of theannular frame perpendicular to the diameter through support 19. Mountedfast to the end of armature shaft 23 is an elongated rotor 24 adapted torotate in a circular path such as indicated in FIG. 3, for example.Rotor 24 is provided with a longitudinal chamber 25 of circularcross-section which extends from one end of the rotor toward the centerof rotation thereof but stops short of the center of rotation as bestshown in FIG. 4. A ball 26 is freely received in chamber 25 and theouter end of rotor 24 is necked as at 27 to prevent escape of ball 26once the ball has been inserted in the chamber. The necked end of therotor while preventing complete discharge of the ball, permits a portionof the ball to extend beyond the end of the rotor.

As shown in FIG. 3, as the motor is driven and rotor 24 revolves, thecentrifugal force acting on ball 26 causes it to move away from thecenter of rotation, the outward limit of movement being defined by thenecked end of the rotor. Ball 26 is positioned so as to strike soundingboard 18 thereby producing a sharp sound. Because of the semi-rigidconstruction of the sounding board, ball 26 will be deflectedimmediately on striking the sounding board and will freely move intochamber 25. This deflection prevents stretching of or undue stress onthe sounding board as the length of the rotor is such to prevent anycontact between the rotor and the sounding board. In other words, theonly contact is made between ball 26 and the sounding board when theball is in its outermost position due to the centrifugal force resultantfrom rotation of the rotor. The termination of chamber 25 short of thecenter of rotation of the rotor prevents .ball 26 from being deflectedto the other side of the center of rotation, which might otherwise causethe ball to' be retained in an inner position.

Suitable leads 28 connect motor 22 to contacts 29 which engage theuppermost ends of batteries 13 when the roof is in place on thebuilding. The other ends of the batteries are connected in series with arheostat 31 as best shown in FIG. 5. From the schematic diagram of FIG.5, it will be quite evident that rheostat 31 can be utilized to act (asan on-oif switch and also to control the speed of operation of motor 22.Rheostat 31 may either be mounted directly on the building, or suitableposts (not shown) may be provided for remote wiring on the rheostat ifplacement of the rheostat on a remote control panel is desired.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description, tare efiicie'ntly attained and,since certain changes may be made in the above construction withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrated and not in alimiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended tocover all of the generic and specific features (it the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

In a noise simulator, the combination comprising a planar base, soundreleasing means in said planar base, an annular frame secured to saidplanar base and surrounding said sound releasing means, a sounding boardcarried by said annular frame and spaced thereby from said planar base,a motor mounted on said frame on a side of said sounding board away fromsaid planar base and adapted to be operated by an energy source, anelongated rotor attached to the armature shaft of said motor forrotation therewith, the central axis of said elongated rotor beingperpendicular to the axis of said armature shaft, and a striking elementslidably carried by said rotor and adapted to extend partially beyondone end of said rotor in its outer limit of movement, said rotor beingpositioned for rotation in a plane perpendicular to the plane of saidsounding board, said striking element being positioned to strike saidsounding board as said rotor is rotated and said striking element isurged to its outer limit of movement.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 507,992 11/1893Burgress 116-158 2,914,885 12/1959 Milligan 272-8 X 3,160,984 12/1964Ryan 46-175 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

DELBERT B. LOWE, R. F. CUTTING,

Assistant Examiners.-

